Andy Reid went 130-93-1 as head coach of the Eagles, got them to the Super Bowl once and to the NFC Championship Game four times. But he was fired after a 4-12 season in 2012. A decade later, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie still considers that one of the toughest decisions he’s had to make.
As his team prepares to meet Reid’s team in Super Bowl LVII, Lurie says he’s glad that Reid landed on his feet and roots for him to succeed, at least when he’s not coaching against the Eagles.
“It was extremely difficult because I was personally extremely close with Andy,” Lurie said, via the Washington Post. “Obviously we were very, very successful together. He represented everything that I believe in. … I just think the best thing for Andy at the time — and I think his family probably thought the best thing for Andy at the time — was to have a different environment for his family at that moment in time. I always thought he’d be highly successful wherever he went. I credit the Chiefs for immediately realizing their opportunity. And they got a first-ballot Hall of Fame coach, in my opinion.”
Lurie has an impressive track record for hiring good coaches, having won a Super Bowl with Doug Pederson and now reached a Super Bowl with Nick Sirianni. But Reid may have been the best coach Lurie hired, even if their time together didn’t end the way either of them wanted.